Genome of Rhodnius prolixus, an insect vector of Chagas disease, reveals unique adaptations to hematophagy and parasite infection

RAFAEL D. MESQUITA; RAQUEL J. VIONETTE-AMARAL; CARL LOWENBERGER; ROLANDO RIVERA-POMAR; FERNANDO A. MONTEIRO; PATRICK MINX; JOHN SPIETH; A. BERNARDO CARVALHO; FRANCISCO PANZERA; DANIEL LAWSON; ANDRÉ Q. TORRES; JOSE M. C. RIBEIRO; MARCOS H. F. SORGINE; ROBERT M. WATERHOUSE; MICHAEL J. MONTAGUE; FERNANDO ABAD-FRANCH; MICHELE ALVES-BEZERRA; LAURENCE R. AMARAL; HELENA M. ARAUJO; RICARDO N. ARAUJO; L. ARAVIND; GEORGIA C. ATELLA; PATRICIA AZAMBUJA; MATEUS BERNI; PAULA R. BITTENCOURT-CUNHA; GLORIA R. C. BRAZ; GUSTAVO CALDERÓN-FERNÁNDEZ; CLAUDIA M. A. CARARETO; MIKKEL B. CHRISTENSEN; IGOR R. COSTA; SAMARA G. COSTA; MARILVIA DANSA; CARLOS R. O. DAUMAS-FILHO; IRON F. DE-PAULA; FELIPE A. DIAS; GEORGE DIMOPOULOS; SCOTT J. EMRICH; NATALIA ESPONDA-BEHRENS; PATRICIA FAMPA; RITA D. FERNANDEZ-MEDINA; RODRIGO N. DA FONSECA; MARCIO FONTENELE; CATRINA FRONICK; LUCINDA A. FULTON; ANA CAROLINE GANDARA; ELOI S. GARCIA; FERNANDO A. GENTA; GLORIA I. GIRALDO-CALDERÓN; BRUNO GOMES; KATIA C. GONDIM; ADRIANA GRANZOTTO; ALESSANDRA A. GU

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

NATL ACAD SCIENCES

Lugar: Washington DC, USA; Año: 2015 vol. 113

0027-8424

Rhodnius prolixus not only has served as a model organism for thestudy of insect physiology, but also is a major vector of Chagas disease,an illness that affects approximately seven million people worldwide.We sequenced the genome of R. prolixus, generated assembledsequences covering 95% of the genome (∼702 Mb), including 15,456putative protein-coding genes, and completed comprehensive genomicanalyses of this obligate blood-feeding insect. Although immunedeficiency(IMD)-mediated immune responses were observed, R. prolixusputatively lacks key components of the IMD pathway, suggestinga reorganization of the canonical immune signaling network. Althoughboth Toll and IMD effectors controlled intestinal microbiota,neither affected Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent of Chagas disease,implying the existence of evasion or tolerance mechanisms.R. prolixus has experienced an extensive loss of selenoprotein genes,with its repertoire reduced to only two proteins, one of which is aselenocysteine-based glutathione peroxidase, the first found in insects.The genome contained actively transcribed, horizontally transferredgenes from Wolbachia sp., which showed evidence of codon use evolutiontoward the insect use pattern. Comparative protein analysesrevealed many lineage-specific expansions and putative gene absencesin R. prolixus, including tandem expansions of genes related to chemoreception,feeding, and digestion that possibly contributed to theevolution of a blood-feeding lifestyle. The genome assembly and theseassociated analyses provide critical information on the physiology andevolution of this important vector species and should be instrumentalfor the development of innovative disease control methods